Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Make Your Own Self Care Rules

“Be what you are. This is the first step toward becoming better than you are.” -Julius Charles Hare



Running seems to be all the rage lately.

Many of my friends have taken up running just this year.    In fact, more than a dozen of my friends participated in the Seattle Rock N Roll marathon last weekend. This was the first BIG race for many of them.

I don’t run, but I thoroughly enjoyed the victorious comments of my runner friends as they reported crossing the finish line last week.   It was so inspiring to see people working and achieving their goals, and the excitement was just infectious. I am glad that I could be a part of their success- even if it was only in the context of rooting for them and giving them some sincere kudos when they finished. The whole experience made me long to join their rank.


Except for one small, teensy, weensy problem…..I am fairly certain I hate running and won’t be liking it anytime soon.

Over the last two weeks, I have let go of some of the pressures I had been putting on myself to start 5K training. When I run, my feet hurt. I am bored out of my mind. My knees ache. It is just not fun for me.  I don’t enjoy it. End of story.

Instead, I have discovered I am just a damn good walker. I can easily walk 6 miles on a weekday (more if I wasn’t time constrained) and last weekend alone I walked 25 miles in two days! When it comes to the walk….I actually, ROCK!

I am way too stubborn to admit that I can’t do something. I believe strongly that we can accomplish just about anything we put our minds to- someday I may just lace up my shoes and get focused, but for today I am enjoying my walks and I know that it is just as good for me physically.

Do not be too hard on yourself when you are working on your self-care. Self-care should be enjoyable and not difficult or stressful! Make your own rules! Pick the things that you like to do and do a little bit of it every day.  This really is the best way to take good care.

2 comments:

Sara said...

LOL! I just ran across your site and LOVE it. I, too, am in awe w/my running friends but refuse to join them. Running is not fun for me at all. I don't get it, but admire their ambition for it :) I've been on the quest for self-care ever since I came across the book, The Mother's Guide to Self-Renewal by Renee Trudeau(www.reneetrudeau.com). It was such an empowering book for me and helped me realize how vital self-care is. I think the biggest benefit I gained is that I no longer have those resentments toward my hubby that have a tendency to build up over time.

Self Care Girl said...

Thank you for the compliment and the link Sara- I will check it out.

Please check out Self Care Girl on Facebook too. If you are interested in self care, the page is a good opportunity to share your insights and also to be inspired by the insights of others. Hope to see you there!